Scottish Executive

Firearms

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review its powers under the Firearms Acts in relation to airguns and whether it will also make representations to Her Majesty's Government that it should review and amend the legislation covering the sale, regulation and use of airguns.

Mr Jim Wallace: Firearms legislation is a reserved matter and, as such, Scottish ministers have no powers in relation to air weapons.

  The Scottish Executive is represented on the Firearms Consultative Committee, the independent statutory body established to keep under review the working of the provisions of the Firearms Acts and to make recommendations to the Home Secretary for improving their working. The committee's latest annual report is due to be submitted to the Home Secretary shortly and will thereafter be laid before the UK Parliament.

Firearms

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences involving air guns there were in each of the past 10 years, broken down by those committed by persons aged (a) under 16 and (b) 16 and over and what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government on the control of such weapons.

Mr Jim Wallace: Crimes and offences recorded by the police in which an air weapon was alleged to have been used in Scotland over each of the past ten years are given in the following table.

  


Year 
  

1991 
  

1992 
  

1993 
  

1994 
  

1995 
  

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Number of recorded crimes and offences 
  

1,192 
  

1,159 
  

1,036 
  

1,005 
  

1,139 
  

1,060 
  

783 
  

666 
  

612 
  

570 
  



Number as % of all recorded firearms crimes 
  

62 
  

59 
  

58 
  

56 
  

66 
  

64 
  

66 
  

68 
  

59 
  

61 
  



  The above information is not collected centrally by age. However, information has been available since 1994 on the number of crimes and offences cleared up by the police in which an air weapon was alleged to have been used and an accused was identified, and this is given in the following table.

  


Age 
  

1994 
  

1995 
  

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Total 
  

332 
  

340 
  

352 
  

307 
  

278 
  

236 
  

250 
  



15 or under 
  

176 
  

182 
  

180 
  

132 
  

122 
  

98 
  

101 
  



16-20 
  

91 
  

101 
  

108 
  

127 
  

98 
  

90 
  

98 
  



21 or over 
  

65 
  

57 
  

64 
  

48 
  

58 
  

48 
  

51 
  



  Firearms policy and legislation are reserved matters. The Scottish Executive is represented on the Firearms Consultative Committee, the independent statutory body established to keep under review the working of the provisions of the Firearms Acts and to make recommendations to the Home Secretary for improving their working. The committee's annual report for 2001 is due to be submitted to the Home Secretary shortly and will thereafter be laid before the UK Parliament.

Further and Higher Education

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what feedback it has had on the effectiveness of the separation of the Access Fund into four discrete areas.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Since 1990, Access Funds, now known as Hardship Funds, have been allocated to institutions on the basis of the number of students enrolled on further education, higher education and postgraduate courses. The further education allocation is now administered by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The funds for higher education students are provided by SAAS. Institutions are no longer allowed to transfer money between their sectoral allocations, to ensure that the Executive’s relative priority for support of students in higher and further education is reflected in the actual distribution to students.

  In addition, from this year, the Mature Students Bursary Fund (MSBF) has been introduced for full-time higher education students. MSBF is separate from Hardship Funds and is targeted, in particular, at students with childcare costs.

  We have received representations from some institutions seeking greater flexibility in the use of the funds. We are currently considering whether some flexibility should be introduced between MSBF and Hardship Funds for higher educarion students during the period MSBF is being phased in.

  I have also, in my letter of policy guidance, asked the Scottish Further Education Funding Council this week to consider how the further education student support system might be simplified, to ease administrative burdens, and improved so funds are better targeted to achieve our principal policy objectives of focusing on students in greatest need and aligning as far as appropriate and possible the student support arrangements in further education and higher education.

Further and Higher Education

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase access to hardship funds for part-time higher education students.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Part-time higher education students studying at least 50% of a full-time course have the same access to hardship funds as full-time students. The Executive has no plans to change these arrangements.

Further and Higher Education

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend support to part-time higher education students to assist travel, study and childcare expenses.

Ms Wendy Alexander: We have no current plans to provide further support to part-time higher education students. Support for higher education students is principally focused on full-time students since they generally have less opportunity than part-time students to support themselves while studying. Part-time higher education students studying at least 50% of a full-time course can apply for a £500 loan each year towards study related costs, including travel. Unlike full-time students, they may also be able to retain their entitlement to income related benefits while studying.

Gaelic

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any restrictions prevent local authorities from using (a) the Excellence Fund, (b) special needs funding, (c) grants for pre-schools education and (d) funding from Sure Start Scotland to benefit Gaelic-medium education.

Nicol Stephen: Education authorities are expected to provide Gaelic-medium education where there is a substantial demand for it. There are no restrictions on authorities using these funds to benefit Gaelic-medium provision, consistent with their overall objectives.

Gaelic

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to improve the availability, funding and promotion of basic language fluency courses for people who are considering taking up Gaelic-medium teacher training courses.

Nicol Stephen: We are considering in conjunction with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) the proposals contained in the SQA report on Gaelic Immersion Courses.

General Practitioners

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many general practitioner (GP) vacancies currently exist in each health board area, what percentage of GP posts this represents in each area and how many GP posts there are in each area per capita.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is shown in the following table, which should be read in conjunction with the notes.

  Number of GP Posts1 by Health Board Area

  Information as at 1 October 2001p

  





Number of GP posts2


Number of GPs "in post" 
  

Vacated posts3


Posts per 100,000 population4




Number 
  

As percentage of all GP posts 
  




Scotland 
  

3 804 
  

3 762 
  

 42 
  

 1.1 
  

 74 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

 325 
  

 322 
  

 3 
  

 0.9 
  

 77 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

 264 
  

 263 
  

 1 
  

 0.4 
  

 71 
  



Borders 
  

 86 
  

 86 
  

- 
  

- 
  

 80 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

 135 
  

 134 
  

 1 
  

 0.7 
  

 93 
  



Fife 
  

 248 
  

 247 
  

 1 
  

 0.4 
  

 71 
  



Forth Valley 
  

 212 
  

 205 
  

 7 
  

 3.3 
  

 76 
  



Grampian 
  

 382 
  

 377 
  

 5 
  

 1.3 
  

 73 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

 639 
  

 633 
  

 6 
  

 0.9 
  

 71 
  



Highland 


 216 
  

 213 
  

 3 
  

 1.4 
  

 104 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

 354 
  

 349 
  

 5 
  

 1.4 
  

 63 
  



Lothian 
  

 577 
  

 572 
  

 5 
  

 0.9 
  

 74 
  



Orkney 
  

 27 
  

 27 
  

- 
  

- 
  

 139 
  



Shetland 
  

 20 
  

 19 
  

 1 
  

 5.0 
  

 89 
  



Tayside 
  

 289 
  

 287 
  

 2 
  

 0.7 
  

 75 
  



Western Isles 
  

 30 
  

 28 
  

 2 
  

 6.7 
  

 110 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  p Information at October 2001 is provisional.

  Notes:

  1. Comprises unrestricted principals in GMS practices, their equivalents in PMS practices and restricted principals.

  2. Includes vacated posts.

  3. Includes posts which have been vacated only. Excludes "additional" posts which have been approved, but not filled, by 1 October 2001.

  4. Estimated population at 30 June 2000. Source: General Register Office for Scotland.

Genetically Modified Crops

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4268 by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2001, whether the difference in height between the genetically modified oil-seed rape and the normal oil-seed rape it is being compared with in the GM field trial at Roskil Farm on the Black Isle may itself cause differences in biodiversity associated with the plants.

Ross Finnie: The scientists overseeing these trials across the UK will note any major differences between crops over the entire cropping cycle and will consider these as part of their final analysis.

Genetically Modified Crops

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4268 by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2001, why there is a difference in heights between the genetically modified oil-seed rape and the normal oil-seed rape it is being compared with in the trial at Roskil farm on the Black Isle.

Ross Finnie: The relative heights of crops at farmscale evaluation sites is not a matter of safety or regulatory concern and is not measured by the Scottish Executive or our GM Inspectorate. The scientists who are overseeing these trials will consider whether any differences are significant as part of their final analysis.

Genetically Modified Crops

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4268 by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2001, whether the genetically modified oil-seed rape being trialed at Roskil farm on the Black Isle is based on a different variety to the non-GM crop it is being compared with in the trial and, if so, why, and whether any other trials are being conducted using this method.

Ross Finnie: The farmscale evaluation programme does not compare the GM crop with a non-GM variety. It is designed to compare the effect on biodiversity of the agricultural practices required to grow herbicide-tolerant GM crops with conventional agricultural practices. The conventional variety used on each trial site is selected by the farmer to represent what would traditionally be grown in a particular area but the variety itself is not pertinent to the methodology of the trial. Different growers participating in the evaluations around the UK will select appropriate varieties for their area and any varietal differences are nullified by the number of sites involved.

  The conventional oilseed rape which has been planted at Munlochy is a variety with the trade name Royal. Like the GM variety, it is a fully restored hybrid.

Genetically Modified Crops

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4268 by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2001, whether it will make representations to the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission seeking a scientific opinion as to whether the differences in height between the genetically modified oil-seed rape and the normal oil-seed rape in the trial at Roskil farm on the Black Isle could adversely affect the comparison of biodiversity between the two.

Ross Finnie: No. The reported difference in height between crops at Munlochy does not raise any safety or regulatory issues of concern to the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment. The conduct of the farmscale evaluations is determined by an independent Scientific Steering Committee who will determine in the context of the whole UK trial programme whether such differences are significant in their final analysis.

Health

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many physiotherapists were employed in each quarter from 1 April 1998 to the most recent quarter for which figures are available and what the average (a) waiting time and (b) size of waiting list was for appointments with physiotherapists in each quarter, broken down by health board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the headcount and whole time equivalent of physiotherapists in post at 30 September in each of the years 1998, 1999 and 2000. Staff in post data on a quarterly basis are not available centrally, nor is information relating to physiotherapists regarding waiting times or waiting lists.

  Physyiotherapists directly employed by NHSScotland by NHS Board

  Headcount and Whole Time Equivalent at 30 September

  

 

Headcount 
  

Whole Time Equivalent 
  



1998 
  

1999 
  

2000P


1998 
  

1999 
  

2000P




Scotland 
  

2,065 
  

2,142 
  

2,160 
  

1,659.9 
  

1,737.1 
  

1,748.6 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

134 
  

136 
  

134 
  

108.1 
  

111.3 
  

110.3 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

159 
  

160 
  

172 
  

128.8 
  

132.4 
  

140.9 
  



Borders 
  

48 
  

49 
  

50 
  

33.0 
  

38.3 
  

38.1 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

51 
  

52 
  

51 
  

38.7 
  

41.0 
  

40.7 
  



Fife 
  

124 
  

148 
  

147 
  

96.4 
  

113.6 
  

112.3 
  



Forth Valley 
  

110 
  

111 
  

115 
  

96.1 
  

95.5 
  

99.7 
  



Grampian 
  

194 
  

210 
  

216 
  

148.7 
  

159.9 
  

162.6 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

422 
  

443 
  

436 
  

350.4 
  

369.4 
  

364.5 
  



Highland 
  

85 
  

85 
  

84 
  

68.4 
  

70.3 
  

71.5 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

170 
  

176 
  

173 
  

136.9 
  

141.6 
  

138.2 
  



Lothian 
  

357 
  

373 
  

383 
  

292.1 
  

306.0 
  

315.9 
  



Orkney 
  

9 
  

11 
  

11 
  

7.3 
  

8.2 
  

6.7 
  



Shetland 
  

10 
  

11 
  

11 
  

8.2 
  

8.5 
  

8.4 
  



Tayside 
  

179 
  

166 
  

164 
  

134.8 
  

130.7 
  

126.8 
  



Western Isles 
  

13 
  

11 
  

13 
  

12.1 
  

10.6 
  

12.1 
  



  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll, ISD Scotland.

  P provisional.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18850 by Susan Deacon on 23 November 2001, on what date it expects to place a full list of the members of the Scottish Medicines Consortium in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Malcolm Chisholm: Two meetings to agree how a Scottish Medicines Consortium should operate have taken place. A list of the members of the consortium will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre if they are agreed at a meeting to be held on 8 January 2002.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when minutes of meetings of the Scottish Medicines Consortium will be published.

Malcolm Chisholm: The minutes of the Scottish Medicines Consortium's meetings will be published on the Consortium's website following their approval at the consortium's next monthly meeting. They will also be available from the consortium on request.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether agendas of meetings of the Scottish Medicines Consortium will be published in advance of such meetings.

Malcolm Chisholm: Agendas of the Scottish Medicines Consortium will not be published in advance of its meetings. However, minutes of the consortium's meetings will be published on its website.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17591 by Susan Deacon on 6 September 2001, what budget has been allocated to the Scottish Medicines Consortium and what the source of funding is for that budget.

Malcolm Chisholm: The work of the Scottish Medicines Consortium will be funded through support from the Health Technology Board for Scotland and through drawing on the expertise and skills of Scotland's network of local Area Drug and Therapeutic Committees.

Maternity Services

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake research into the provision of maternity services in rural areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Boards have conducted local maternity service reviews, which take account of the various geographical and demographic features of their particular area. The Scottish Executive is currently auditing NHS Board strategies against the principles laid out in A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland.  A working group will meet in early 2002 to consider the appropriate configuration of models of acute and intra-partum maternity care for Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive set up the Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative to explore issues affecting the full range of health services in rural Scotland. A recently formed sub-group has been created to look specifically at maternity services in remote and rural settings.

NHS Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that any notional charge on capital under the resource accounting and budgeting system will not result in health boards being required to cut back on service delivery.

Malcolm Chisholm: The introduction of the resource accounting and budgeting system has not changed the way NHS Boards account for capital. NHS Boards are given an annual general allocation to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. It is for boards to determine how to manage and deliver local health care services to meet these needs within the funds available. In the current year all NHS Boards received increases in their unified budgets of at least 5.5%, more than twice the rate of inflation.

NHS Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that health boards receive the necessary level of funds to meet any expected growth in demand on a per capita basis for their services.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Boards are given an annual allocation to meet the health care needs of their resident populations. NHS Boards received an average increase in unified budget of 6.5% in the current year. Increases to individual boards ranged from a minimum of 5.5% to a maximum of 9.8%. It is for boards to determine, within the funds available, how to manage and deliver local health care services including meeting any expected growth in demand.

NHS Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the funding allocated to Grampian Health Board so that the health board is able to fill all consultant vacancies at a time when it is in a position of budget deficit.

Malcolm Chisholm: None. Grampian NHS Board has been allocated £453.154 million of revenue resources in the current year, an increase of 5.5% over the equivalent budget for 2000-01. It is for the board to decide how best to meet the health care needs of their resident population from within the resources available.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements it sets non-departmental public bodies for publication of accounts and what means it recommends for making such accounts open and accessible.

Mr Andy Kerr: All non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) with budgetary responsibilities are required to produce annual accounts. These should be drawn up in accordance with best commercial practice, including for example, an operating/income and expenditure account; a balance sheet or statement of assets and liabilities; a flow of funds statement.

  Accounts and Annual Reports are the main vehicles by which NDPBs regularly inform Parliament and the public about their expenditure and activities. NDPBs are required to make them publicly available, for example through libraries and public body websites.

Nursing

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many district nurses were employed in each quarter from 1 April 1996 to the most recent quarter for which figures are available.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the whole time equivalent of district nurses in post at 30 September in each of the years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Staff in post data on a quarterly basis is not available centrally. Data for the year 2000 are the latest available.

  District Nurses directly employed by NHSScotland

  Whole time equivalent

  

 

1996 
  

1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000p




Scotland1


1,780.0 
  

1,800.0 
  

1,853.0 
  

1,941.0 
  

1,935.8 
  



Grade G and above 
  

1,008.3 
  

1,001.7 
  

1,011.8 
  

1,027.3 
  

1,018.4 
  



Below Grade G 
  

 771.7 
  

 798.0 
  

 840.7 
  

 913.4 
  

 917.4 
  



  p provisional

  Notes:

  1. includes health visiting and district nursing teaching staff working in the field without a DN qualification. The category "Grade G and above" gives a broad indication of those staff with a DN qualification.

Nursing

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many diabetes nurses were employed in each quarter from 1 April 1998 to the most recent quarter for which figures are available and what the average (a) waiting time and (b) size of waiting list was for appointments with diabetes nurses in each quarter, broken down by health board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: : The information requested is not available centrally.

Nursing

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bank and agency nurses have been used at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee over the last year and what the cost of using such nurses was.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information you have asked for has been provided for 2000-01 for Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust of which Ninewells hospital forms a part. Information on individual hospitals use of bank and agency nurses is not available centrally but may be available directly from the trust.

  

 

Number (Average Whole Time Equivalent) 
  

Cost 
  



Bank Nurses 
  

32.31


£634,139 
  



Agency Nurses 
  

18.41


£782,114 
  



  Source: ERBOD (via the Scottish Standard Payroll System), ISD Scotland.

  Note:

  1. On any given day an average of 32.3 bank nurses and 18.4 agency nurses were employed by the trust.

Nursing

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nursing posts are currently vacant at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Nursing

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16412 by Susan Deacon on 8 August 2001, how much the NHS spent on using bank and agency nurses over the last year.

Malcolm Chisholm: The amount spent on bank and agency nurses in 2000-01 was £24,953,662 and £19,028,372 respectively. To place this in perspective, the combined cost of bank and agency nurses represents just under 3.5% of the nursing and midwifery pay bill.

Nursing

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reduce the use of bank and agency nurses in the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHSScotland employers are expected to employ staff on a permanent basis. Where the use of bank and agency nurses is necessary, employers are to apply the criteria in the Accounts Commission for Scotland Report Temporary Measures which was published in February 2000. The criteria are:

  flexible rota management;

  asking part-time staff to work extra hours;

  sharing staff across wards or departments;

  appointing a bank nurse;

  offering overtime to existing staff;

  appointing an agency nurse.

  It is also recognised that action must be taken to provide nurses and midwives with career appointments in Scotland. With this in mind, Facing the Future, the Report of the Convention on Recruitment and Retention in Nursing and Midwifery, has recognised a need for; an increase in employment opportunities in Scotland; greater commitment to meeting continuing professional development needs; and innovative schemes to provide flexibility, choice and options in working practices. The network of Workforce Centres announced at the conference will help develop the current and future shape of the nursing workforce on the basis of sound principles and research. To boost the pool of nurses the Scottish Executive is funding a recruitment campaign to reach the care workforce at regional and national level. In addition, guidance on family friendly policies was issued to NHSScotland in January to help employers in their efforts to encourage new recruits and to retain staff who wish the opportunity to balance work with family commitments.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any difficulties exist between BEAR (Scotland) Ltd and Fife Council, when it first became aware of any such difficulties and what action it has undertaken to resolve them.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive was not aware of any difficulties between BEAR Scotland Ltd and Fife Council until 29 November 2001 when it was advised that Fife Council was withdrawing its sub-contracting operations, including winter operations, for BEAR with effect from 7 December 2001.

  Executive officials immediately contacted BEAR to identify the measures that required to be implemented in order to address the operations previously undertaken by Fife Council. These measures have been implemented and BEAR are now carrying out all winter and other operations previously sub-contracted to Fife Council.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether developments reported in The Courier on 6 December 2001 in respect of Bear (Scotland) Ltd and Fife Council will have any impact on delivery of contracted provisions for winter under the trunk roads maintenance contract and what action it has taken to ensure that no disruption will occur.

Lewis Macdonald: BEAR Scotland Ltd has mobilised sufficient resources to address the winter and other maintenance operations previously carried out by Fife Council on BEAR’s behalf. BEAR has assured the Executive that no disruption to services will occur.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Qualifications Authority will publish its accounts for 2000-01 and where they will be publicly accessible.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). However, the SQA normally makes its audited annual accounts available on request after they have been laid in Parliament. It is expected that the 2000-01 accounts will have been laid by 21 December 2001.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the annual accounts for the Scottish Qualifications Authority were published for (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). However, the SQA normally makes its audited annual accounts available on request after they have been laid in Parliament. I will arrange for the chairman of the SQA to respond to your request for information.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what vacant posts at the Scottish Qualifications Authority have been advertised internally only over the past three months and under what criteria it was decided to adopt such an approach to these posts.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). However, SQA’s Management Statement and Financial Memorandum requires the SQA to operate a recruitment system that is based on fair and open competition. I will arrange for the chairman to respond.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it approved (a) the internal advertisement and appointment to vacant senior posts at the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) the criteria for deciding that such posts be treated in this way.

Nicol Stephen: The recruitment processes adopted to fill posts within the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) are a matter for that body. However, under its Management Statement and Financial Memorandum the SQA is required to operate a recruitment system that is based on fair and open competition. In addition, the approval of the Scottish Executive is required for the grading and creation of posts at director level and for the appointment of the Chief Executive.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will lay before the Parliament the Order to dissolve the Scottish Transport Group.

Lewis Macdonald: The Order to dissolve the Scottish Transport Group will be brought forward as soon as possible following the formal wind-up of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes.

Scottish Water

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where the local area offices of the proposed Scottish Water will be based; how much they will cost to establish, and how many people will work at each base.

Ross Finnie: These will be operational matters for Scottish Water.

  However, in my answer to question S1W-20138 on 20 November 2001, I indicated that the vast majority of Scottish Water staff would be located in existing water authority premises around the country.

  In relation to costs and staffing, I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-19792, S1W-19794 and S1W-19795 on 21 November 2001.

Scottish Water

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many redundancies resulting from efficiency savings are anticipated at management level and above in each water authority following the creation of the proposed Scottish Water.

Ross Finnie: There will inevitably be a significant reduction in management posts when the three existing water authorities are merged into a single management structure. The exact number of these posts and how they will be filled are operational matters for the prospective Board of Scottish Water, and its approach will be developed over time.

Scottish Water

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any advice has been received from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of the Water Industry (Scotland) Bill.

Ross Finnie: No.

Scottish Water

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) domestic and (b) commercial customers each water authority has had in (i) 1998-99, (ii) 1999-2000, (iii) 2000-01 and (iv) 2001-02.

Ross Finnie: The figures, acquired from the water authorities, are as follows:

  


Domestic & Non-Domestic Customers 
  






1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



Domestic 
  

Non-Domestic 
  

Domestic 
  

Non-Domestic 
  

Domestic 
  

Non-Domestic 
  

Domestic 
  

Non-Domestic 
  



EoSWA 
  

686,000 
  

53,500 
  

690,000 
  

53,500 
  

700,000 
  

53,500 
  

705,000 
  

53,500 
  



NoSWA 
  

505,278 
  

51,379 
  

507,665 
  

51,560 
  

513,564 
  

50,203 
  

513,501 
  

49,370 
  



WoSWA 
  

1,010,000 
  

70,800 
  

1,019,000 
  

71,500 
  

1,029,000 
  

72,300 
  

1,040,000 
  

73,000 
  



Total 
  

2,201,278 
  

175,679 
  

2,216,665 
  

176,560 
  

2,242,564 
  

176,003 
  

2,258,501 
  

175,870

Union of the Crowns

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19986 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 November 2001, what steps it will take in considering whether or not plans should be put in place to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are currently focussing attention on the major celebrations in prospect next year to mark Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee. Plans for celebration of the anniversary in 2003, if appropriate, would be considered in due course in liaison with Buckingham Palace and relevant Whitehall departments and interests.

Waste Management

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether residual bottom ash from incineration or energy from waste plants can be classified as recycled material and, if so, what the criteria are for making such a classification.

Ross Finnie: Residual bottom ash from incineration or energy from waste plants can be processed and used as an aggregate substitute. Bottom ash is a controlled waste and therefore any storage, transportation and treatment of the ash must be carried out in accordance with Waste Management Licence requirements.

  As a by-product of the incineration process this material would usually be referred to as a "secondary aggregate" rather than a "recycled aggregate". "Recycled aggregates" would usually refer to aggregates that have been used previously in construction.

Water Charges

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many charities in each water authority area have had their water supply cut off for non-payment of water bills in (a) 1998-99, (b) 1999-2000, (c) 2000-01 and (d) 2001-02.

Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for the Scottish water authorities. I understand from them that their records show that no charities in any water authority area have had their water supply withdrawn for non-payment of water bills in 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, or to date in 2001-02.